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Should Tesla have kept the '+' moniker for the P85D?

The release of the dual drive looks amazing, just one little thing bothers me.

With the P85D replacing the P85+, I feel that the name undersells the level of performance that this new car has.

On the S60 and S85 the addition of the D effectively means a $4000 upgrade to AWD with fairly similar performance to the RWD models.

But on the P85 the D just doesn't mean AWD, it a $14,600 upgrade that means suspension/handling improvements, staggered wheels, Recaro seats, brake upgrade and 691 HP making it the fastest production 4 door in the history of the planet.

I feel they should of called it the P85D+, minor issue but the + moniker could of become an excellent sub-brand to signify the top performance model in other upcoming future Tesla cars.

Actually if you look more closely, they just bundled the + option in with the dual motors on the P85D, the D upgrade is $4000 for the S60 and S85, but $15000 for the P85, in the notes it indicates that it includes all the fancy performance stuff that used to be + specific.

I'd like a lower case A to indicate autopilot, not that it isn't obvious. The big real world concern is that it's not obvious from the VIN. It will be for 2015 and above, but there will be 2014 cars with and without it. I would hope that insurance rates would be lower for cars that avoid smashing into things. But my insurance company won't know the difference.

There is still room for them to release a + model. They might be able to replace the front 221hp with the 376hp on the base model to give a total 846hp , but then again the 'plus' size models imply a bigger model (thanks apple!), so maybe the X is just a +

Actually if you look more closely, they just bundled the + option in with the dual motors on the P85D, the D upgrade is $4000 for the S60 and S85, but $15000 for the P85, in the notes it indicates that it includes all the fancy performance stuff that used to be + specific.

The + didn't go away, it's just bundled with AWD.

Click to expand...

The $4K upgrade requires you to give up your bigger 380 HP motor, while the $14K upgrade does not. So it's apples and oranges until you know the actual cost of the smaller motor.

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